1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to an accessory for an existing pair of eyeglasses, and in particular relates to an ornamental attachment that is removably mounted to an existing pair of eyeglasses in order to augment the visual appeal of the pair of eyeglasses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Eyeglasses, used for improving the vision of hundreds of millions of users worldwide, generally comprise two lenses, an eyeglass frame for supporting the lenses, and temple legs for selectively securing the eyeglasses to a head of a user. A great variety of differently designed eyeglasses have been devised, in order to suit the varied aesthetic preferences of different users. However, most existing eyeglasses suffer from a notable disadvantage. In particular, although a pair of eyeglasses may be perfectly suitable for a particular occasion, an individual may want to change or augment the appearance of the pair of eyeglasses on a different occasion. However, once the individual has purchased a pair of eyeglasses having a particular design, said individual is generally not fully at liberty to purchase an additional pair of eyeglasses having a different design, because eyeglasses are generally quite expensive. Accordingly, there is a need for an ornamental attachment that is removably mounted to an existing pair of eyeglasses in order that an individual may change or augment the appearance of the eyeglasses on different occasions, and which substantially obviates the need for purchasing a new pair of eyeglasses.
A variety of different eyeglasses, eyeglass frames, and ornamental accessories for eyeglasses have been devised. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,234 to Nitta appears to show a hanging ornament that is attached to an eyeglass frame by connecting loop-like hanging portions to temple pieces of eyeglasses by way of a link-type fastener in order that the ornament may be easily interchanged. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,128 to Mendola appears to show an eyeglass frame having a clasp having a clamp terminating in a U-shaped holder, and having an ornament having a rod at its periphery, said rod being held within said U-shaped holder when said rod is removably placed on said holder, and having locking means for securing the ornament to the clasp. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,584 to Friedman appears to show an apparatus for removably mounting an ornamental attachment to the temple piece of an eyeglass frame, wherein the ornamental attachment is secured to the temple piece with machine screws. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,912,718 to Murai et al appears to show a pair of eyeglasses having a flexible lens holding member such as a nylon wire, wherein a decoration is fastened to the periphery of the lens in order to augment the appearance of the eyeglasses. What's more, U.S. Pat. No. 5,185,620 to Cooper appears to show an eyeglass system for mounting ornaments onto an eyeglass frame, wherein the ornaments are releasably secured to the eyeglass frame by a spring-biased projection mechanism mounted within the temple member of the eyeglasses.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.